Galway woman set to lift Dublin's first established lifting stone
Ayshea Ullah, Ireland's former five-time Strongest Woman, brought her strength and knowledge to Dundrum Town today, giving a sneak peek of what's to come at her jaw-dropping stone lifting event, Stones and Stories.
Taking place on Saturday, 14 March, as part of the St. Patrick's Festival, the event will see both Ayshea and Martin Gallagher host an interactive talk about the recent history of the rediscovered Irish lifting stones and some of the stories and folklore attached to them.
"It's new, and it's ancient," Ayshea says of the tradition. "New in that it's only in the last five or six years that we've really started to uncover the history of Irish stone lifting.
"We knew of its existence in Iceland, and Scotland, and various parts of the world, and we have great thanks to David Keohan for being the driving force behind this remerging culture."
Richard Tierney, CEO of St Patrick's Festival, pictured with Ayshea Ullah. Photo: Andres Poveda.
With the help of Conor Heffernan at the Ulster University, Keoghan soon uncovered a lost tradition rooted in Ireland's rural heritage, eventually locating three lifting stones, two in the Aran Islands and one in Co Tipperary. You can read more here.
Historically, it seems that to successfully lift and 'give wind to the stone' (lift it completely off the ground) was a show of strength and a marker of local status.
"Threads have been picked up, and this tapestry is now being woven to find the stories behind the stones," the strong woman explains, noting that we currently have 53 stones located across the country.
Ayshea Ullah, Ireland's former five time Strongest Woman and Stones & Stories performer
An ambassador for the tradition, Ayshea became the first recorded person to have lifted two of the stones - a woman's stone and a man's stone - found in a graveyard in Co Clare.
"I lifted the woman's stone to chest - that was about 114, 115 kilos - and then, not to be outdone, I decided to lift the men's stone, which was 170 kilos. And I got wind under it, so probably about five inches off the ground."
"After that, I was hooked," she smiled. "There's something about going out into a field and tracking down a stone. Someone explained it really well when they said it's like touching the hands of your ancestors."
On Saturday, Ayesha will continue her historic lifting record, taking on An Creatlach Cloch Chathair Átha Cliath - the first ever established Dublin Lifting Stone.
The historic first lift of An Creatlach Cloch Chathair Átha Cliath will take place during Stones & Stories on Saturday 14 March in Dundrum Town, where visitors will also be invited to try lifting lighter stones themselves. Click here for more info.
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